Legacy

In historical terms, a legacy is something that is handed down from one period of time to another period of time. Often it means something handed down from an ancestor or predecessor.[2]Metaphorically, leaving a legacy is planting seeds in a garden you never get to see

In loose terms it is sometimes said that a countries or civilizations can leave a legacy, such as an idea that will be remembered for a long time. That is clearly an extension of its original meaning(s) which were about individual people.

Buddha and Confucius and other religious and philosophical teachers have left moral legacies.

Some families pass objects and ideas down from generation to generation. These heirlooms and ideas can also be called legacies. It may have to do with a person or many people. Individuals can leave a historical legacy.

Legacy is a similar concept as inheritance and heritage. It is something we inherit from past generations and pass to our future generations. Usually heritage refers to material and economical inheritance, while legacy refers to immaterial and cultural inheritance.

When software source code is reused in new software development, the old code is often called legacy code.